Jason Furman nominated as replacement chairman for Council of Economic Advisers

President Barack Obama urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Jason Furman as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during a statement on Monday.

“Jason Furman is one of the most brilliant economic minds of his generation, don’t take my word for it — you can talk to other economists who know a lot more than I do about it,” Obama said.

Furman would replace Alan Krueger, who chaired the council since November 2011. Krueger recently announced he would step down from his position to pursue teaching at his alma mater Princeton.

Furman is a three-time Harvard graduate. He has served as principal deputy director of the National Economic Council since 2009. His Ph.D. thesis advisor, Greg Mankiw, chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under George W. Bush.

During the Clinton Administration, Nobel Prize winner Joe Stiglitz hired Furman to work for the Council of Economic Advisers.

“After leaving President Clinton’s White House, Jason finished his Ph.D. in economics, quickly acquired a reputation as a world-class scholar and researcher,” Obama said. “But public service kept calling, and Jason kept answering that call because he believes deeply in it.”

Furman’s confirmation awaits a vote in the Senate. The vote has not yet been placed on the Senate calendar.